


Calling For You

by Welfycat



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Community: kink_bingo, Dubious Consent, F/M, Knotting, Mating Cycles/In Heat, References to Child Abuse, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-24
Updated: 2012-10-24
Packaged: 2017-11-16 23:56:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/545234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welfycat/pseuds/Welfycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn't supposed to be happening, not for another five years at least, and certainly not like this. But then, when had things been what they were supposed to for Derek and his pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calling For You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Kink Bingo; Prompt: Body Alteration/Injury  
> Content Notes: Underage sex (16 year olds having sex with each other, a man in his mid-twenties(ish) having sex with 16 year olds), Dubious Consent (heat-fic, though verbal consent is given), references to physical abuse of a child (non-graphic description of scars and their cause), knotting. Mostly het, with a small amount of slash at the end.

As soon as Derek stepped into the pack den he realized what was wrong. He'd been able to feel the restless worry coming from his betas for the past thirty minutes or so and he'd turned back when it hadn't abated within a few minutes. He had been able to tell that no one was injured or dying, but beyond that he'd been left in the dark. It could have been anything from Chris Argent dropping by with news to some teenage drama that had left them in a flutter. Now, getting a heady breath of the air in the den, Derek actually wished for some normal teenage drama or news from the local Hunters.

Isaac was up the stairs almost before Derek realized it; Isaac had always been the stealthiest of his betas, and while he couldn't sneak up on Derek yet he was pretty good at sneaking up to him. He looked up at Derek with pleading, worried eyes, and Derek felt a small punch in the gut at the reminder of the responsibility he'd taken on. "Derek, Erica's sick. We tried calling Dr. Deaton, but we keep getting his voice mail. Boyd thinks we should take her to the hospital."

Derek wanted to sigh; it sounded like none of his betas knew what was happening even by instinct, which was just another way this whole situation was stupidly fucked. "She needs to stay in the den, she'll be fine," he said, and started down the steps.

"You know what's wrong with her?" Isaac asked, following just a step behind Derek, the worry already mostly gone from his voice.

Derek felt bad about that sort of trust being placed in him; he didn't think any of them would be relieved when he explained what was happening to Erica. He walked into the relatively empty space they used for pack gatherings. Someone had dragged one of the mattresses out into the center and wrapped Erica up in a blanket. Boyd was sitting at her side, his hand stroking her hair, and Jackson was leaning against one of the nearby pillars. To anyone looking Jackson would seem distant and unconcerned, but Derek could feel the fear that was strumming Jackson's heart.

"How do you feel?" Derek asked as he knelt down next to the mattress and peered at Erica's flushed face.

Erica tilted her head back and blinked at him. "My body hurts and I feel really cold. It's like, the flu or something, but, I don't know. Different?"

Derek ran his fingers across the sheen of sweat across her forehead and then brought his hand to his nose and sniffed. He stood abruptly and turned away, all too aware that his betas were watching him. If he was absolutely honest with himself he could recognize that the signs had been there for the last week or so. Erica, when she was comfortable, was naturally playful and regularly tussled with the other members of the pack. Derek hadn't said anything about it because it was good for pack bonding and helpful in drawing Isaac and Jackson into physical contact. In the past little bit this behavior had gotten slightly more aggressive and Erica had pounced on Derek several times when she usually was less direct when engaging with her Alpha. He had taken it as a reaction to losing Peter as a pack member, and as he thought about it, he supposed that was actually true. Derek was relatively certain Peter was still alive, somewhere, but he and the rest of the betas had felt the pack connection sever when Peter had disappeared.

"Well? What the fuck is wrong with her?" Jackson asked, breaking away from the wall to circle around to near where Isaac was standing.

Derek turned and faced his betas, and some distant voice in his mind wondered if this was what parents felt like when they were suddenly confronted with giving their kids the birds and the bees talk. "Give me a few minutes with Erica and then we'll have a discussion," was what he finally said.

Isaac was visibly torn, wanting to obey the command of his Alpha but wanting to stay by his weakened packmate as well. A stern look from Derek finally got Isaac moving, and Jackson trailed after him with a final glance at Erica. Boyd was even more reluctant to leave, though he finally leaned down and pressed his mouth to Erica's neck and whispered a promise that he'd be right there if she called for him.

Derek didn't begrudge his betas their wariness, not when they'd had their pack torn apart so many times, and he waited until he heard the door to the den fall shut before he sat down on the floor next to the mattress.

"Derek, what's wrong with me?" Erica asked, her voice trembling.

"Nothing," Derek said immediately, feeling guilty that his pack was even thinking of this in terms of wrong and sickness. There wasn't anything he could have done to prepare them, not when he hadn't expected this to happen for another five or six years at least, but he still felt like he'd failed as an Alpha. It was a feeling he had grown very familiar with. "There's nothing wrong with you. You're not sick. You're in heat."

Erica shook her head slightly. "Like a dog?"

"Like a wolf," Derek said firmly. "Like a werewolf. This is perfectly natural. It happens to all female werewolves. This is just sooner than usual."

"Why?" Erica asked. She shifted under her blanket and her hand quested out.

Derek wrapped his hand around Erica's and used his other hand to smooth up and down her warm arm. He sighed and tried to think of a way to explain what was happening that wouldn't traumatize her more than necessary. "When werewolves reach sexual maturity, usually in their early to mid-twenties, they have a heat once a year. That's usually in the winter."

"It's August," Erica said when Derek trailed off.

"Most packs are larger than this, and most of them have a wider range of ages and genders," Derek said, grimacing as he realized he was a terrible job of explaining. Not that he really expected different. "I think that when Peter left, it triggered your heat early. Your body recognized that our pack is in danger and that you are the only female, and it wants to you to breed to increase our pack size."

"Breed?" Erica wheezed, her hand clenching down on Derek's with supernatural strength. "Derek, I don't want-"

"No," Derek said quickly. "It's not even possible right now. You may have reached sexual maturity in human biology, but your body is not ready to bear a werewolf baby. You won't be able to become pregnant until your early twenties."

"Then why is this happening?" she asked, her voice plaintive.

Derek sighed. "Like I said, your body and your hormones are reacting to signals they can't quite process yet. It shouldn't be happening. I'm sorry."

Erica let out a small whimper. "How long?"

Derek looked away, hating himself for even thinking what he was thinking.

"Derek! How long am I going to be like this?" Erica demanded.

"That depends on how you choose to deal with your heat," Derek said and frowned. "It's your choice. Whatever you want, we'll make it work."

Erica shivered and scooted closer to Derek. "What are my options?"

He grimaced, not for the first time wishing he had a mate to help with this type of thing. "You can't be out of the den while you're in heat. You're giving off pheromones which will only get stronger as your heat progresses. You'll attract the attention of any sexually mature male and as much as I'd like to believe that they would restrain themselves I know that's not the case. If you choose to wait out your heat, I'll send the other betas away until it's over and I will guard you. Usually a heat lasts somewhere in between five days and two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Erica moaned. "Derek, I can not stay here for two weeks. I can't even stay here for five days. My mom barely lets me out of the house during the day now that I'm back. I can't _'run away'_ again. She hasn't even forgiven me for the last time."

Derek nodded. Erica's family had welcomed her back when Derek and the pack had rescued her and Boyd from the Alpha Pack. After a blow out fight with his parents, Boyd had left his family permanently and now stayed with Derek full-time, just like Isaac. Sometimes Derek thought it would have been easier if Erica had chosen not to try to reintegrate with her family but he couldn't begrudge her the choice. "We could make it look like you were kidnapped or something. Jackson and Stiles could make a statement to the police, saying they saw you get taken, and we can come up with a story of some kind for you to tell them when your heat is over," he said. He was sure with Stiles' help they could come up with a plausible cover story.

"No," Erica said flatly. "What are my other options?"

Derek frowned and tried to remind himself just because he could lock Erica up in the den where she would be safe, didn't mean he should. Probably. "You can pick a member of the pack to be with you during your heat. That should reduce the duration, possibly by as much as a few days, and you would feel better. You'd still have a fever, but your other physical symptoms would abate some."

"As in I'd still be here for at least three or four days?" Erica asked.

"Probably closer to six or seven," Derek admitted. "But you could call your mom from a disposable cellphone to let her know you're alright."

"We are not telling my parents that I've been kidnapped!" Erica shouted, her claws digging into the back of Derek's hand. "What are my other options?"

Derek sighed and let Erica dig her claws in deeper, considering telling Erica that those were her only options.

"Derek, please. There has to be something else. Maybe Deaton can drug me or something, I don't know," Erica asked, her voice soft and trembling again.

"There is one other way and it would end your heat and pheromone production by tonight," Derek said slowly.

Erica nodded. "Good. Let's go with that." She paused and looked thoughtful. "It doesn't involve you using your claws to tear out my ovaries and stuff, does it?"

Derek stared. "No."

"Okay, good," she said, relaxing against the mattress slightly. "What do I have to do?"

Derek forced himself not to look away. "You'd need to have sex with every member of the pack and I would have to knot you. Once your body is satisfied that you've attempted every possible candidate for procreation, your heat will stop."

Erica was silent for a long minute. "Good thing Peter left the pack then because, no offense, but that would just not be happening."

"That's the option you're picking?" Derek asked in disbelief. He'd been almost certain that once Erica had heard the alternative she would have decided to stay in the den for a week with Boyd.

"Obviously. I mean, assuming that the others are willing," Erica said, and then looked up at Derek with concern. "Assuming you're willing."

Derek grimaced, not believing what he was about to do. He'd done a lot of things the past year he hadn't thought he was capable of, though this was seriously taking the cake. "I'll talk to them and impress the importance of your choice upon them," he said and stood up while wiping his spilled blood from his wrist. "I'll be back soon."

Erica shook her head. "Just call them all down here. Might as well talk this over as a pack."

Derek turned away so she couldn't see his expression of pained regret. "If that's what you want."

"It is," she said.

Derek had to admire the way her voice didn't waver again even as he heard her shiver and pull her blanket tighter. "Alright."

The door to the den opened without Derek having to call for his betas and he watched carefully as they clattered back down the stairs into the den proper. They had been listening, he had expected and hoped as much - he really didn't want to have this conversation twice - but this at least had allowed him to get through the basics with a minimum of interruptions and without being asked a million questions.

Boyd went directly back to Erica's side, giving Derek a hard look as he passed before he focused his attention on cradling Erica's trembling hands. Isaac hung back, not looking at Derek at all, but staying further away from Erica than he had earlier. Jackson was looking directly at Derek, his expression incredulous and his arms folded, and he cocked his head to the side in a way that Derek had learned meant Jackson was about to pitch a fit about something. Fantastic.

"Erica has requested that we, as a pack, help her through her heat," Derek said, fixing each of his male betas with a firm stare. "I expect your respectful and thoughtful consideration to her circumstances." His words weren't quite a growl, but it was a close thing.

"This is what you want?" Boyd asked, leaning closer to Erica and scenting her neck, seeming a little confused when he sat back.

Erica gave a short laugh. "I'm not sure 'want' is the right word, but it's the best option I have. I'm not putting my family through that again. Did you know I actually tried to tell them that I was a werewolf? My dad started talking about sending me away to a drug rehab program."

Boyd twisted around and looked up at Derek. "There isn't an inhibitor drug or something, something that Deaton could give her? Something that would stop her pheromones enough that she could at least go home and spend a week in bed faking sick with the flu?"

"Not one that works. When I was in New York, there was a pack that was experimenting with different substances that effect various aspects of werewolf physiology, but so far none of their heat suppressants functioned correctly. If they didn't have one, Deaton won't either," Derek explained.

"So, what? You expect us just to fuck her and call it a day?" Jackson asked, immediately on the receiving end of snarls from Boyd and Isaac, and a low throated warning growl from Derek. Jackson seemed unfazed. "What? Not that Erica isn't hot, because she is, but I actually have a girlfriend. I don't think she would be down with this and I'm not doing this if it's going to fuck things up with her."

"Call her and ask," Derek suggested, though it was more an order thinly disguised as a suggestion. He actually had a pretty good idea of what Lydia would say, if only because Lydia had been the one who had brought Jackson into Derek's pack in the first place. Lydia frequently came to pack meetings with Jackson, offered suggestions and worked tactics with Boyd, and had devoured any information that Derek and Deaton could provide. She had avoided Peter whenever possibly and on one memorable occasion Derek had overheard her threatening to set Peter on fire if he came near her again. Derek couldn't help but be a little proud of the pair of humans that associated with the pack; Lydia and Stiles were proof that he was doing something right at least.

"Fine," Jackson said and pulled out his cellphone. When Lydia answered, he looked smugly at Derek and began to speak. "Hi, I just wanted to get your opinion on something. Erica is in heat and Derek wants all of us to fu-have sex with her because that will somehow stop her heat, all so her parents won't freak out about her disappearing for a week."

"Just the wolves or does he want me to come over too?" Lydia asked calmly, her voice audible to all of the eavesdropping werewolves in the room.

Derek felt a smile steal over his face; if he couldn't get some enjoyment out of Jackson's clear shock, then what was the point in being Alpha?

"Lydia. Derek wants me to have sex with Erica," Jackson said, enunciating very clearly.

"I heard you the first time. Just be at my house by seven because my mom wants us both here for dinner and I'm not sitting through that by myself. Dress nice, something in a dark blue," Lydia said, and then the line went silent.

Derek raised an eyebrow as Jackson pocketed his phone. "Any other objections, Jackson?"

Jackson looked to where Erica had curled herself up and was rocking ever so slightly against Boyd's side. "No," he said quietly, and Derek heard Jackson's heart slow, just enough to indicate his calm honesty.

"Boyd?" Derek asked, not expecting Boyd to have a problem considering his relationship with Erica, but not wanting to assume.

"I'll do whatever Erica decides," Boyd said, his heart beating in that same calm rhythm.

Derek nodded his approval. "Isaac?"

Isaac looked at Derek for the first time since the betas had come back down into the den. "This will really help her? It will make it stop?"

"Yes," Derek answered. As far as he knew it had never been necessary with the Hale pack while his father had been Alpha, but he had been too young to truly be aware of what was going on when the adult females were in heat. When he'd been in New York, staying with a pack that was very distantly related to the Hales, he'd participated in one heat when the young woman in question had chosen this method of ending her heat because there was no one she wanted as a mate for the duration. Derek remained still and listened to the trip of Isaac's heart, Isaac's gaze locked back down on the floor.

"Then I'll do it," Isaac said finally, just as Derek was scrambling for something he could say without making the situation worse. "If it will help Erica, I'll do it."

When Isaac glanced up, Derek caught his gaze and nodded. Isaac swallowed hard but nodded to Derek before backing away. Derek walked up to the edge of the mattress again and crouched down. Erica's pheromone production had already increased, likely because she was near her Alpha and her packmates, and Derek resisted the urge to flash his claws against his skin for control. He was the Alpha, he had to demonstrate absolute control for his betas. "Are you certain this is what you want?"

Erica nodded and managed to roll her eyes despite her shivering. "Like Jackson said, you're all hot," she said and smiled just a little at her joke. "Just promise me I'm not going to get pregnant from this. I couldn't do that right now."

Derek unwrapped the blanket from around Erica and leaned down to scent along her stomach, searching through the the myriad of odors that overlaid the den and the thick pheromones that almost completely masked Erica's usual scent. He stayed for a long moment to make certain that what he already knew was correct. "You won't get pregnant; your body has recognized your biological changes and you've ceased to ovulate. And there's no danger of transmission of infection or disease between any of us, werewolves can't carry or spread disease apart from very rare and specific instances."

"Good to know," Boyd said quietly and he bent his head down again rub the side of his face against Erica's. "We're doing this then?"

Derek nudged Boyd away and raised his eyebrow at Erica.

"Yeah, we're doing this," she said. Even though her breaths quickened, her heart was steady.

Derek stood and looked around at his betas and tried hard not to think about what his father would be saying right now about the way Derek was handling the legacy of the Hale pack. "Alright," he said into the silence. "Two things. First, listen to Erica; if she tells you to back off, you do it, right then. Second, do not knot her. I need to do that as her Alpha in order to signal the end of her heat."

"Wait," Jackson said, half holding up a hand like he thought he had to get Derek's attention. "What do you mean by 'knot' her?"

Derek scowled and made a firm rule in his mind about not biting a teenager ever again. It just wasn't worth it. He fixed his gaze across the den, not looking directly at any of his betas, and set his jaw. "When a member of the pack is in heat, the men in the pack develop a knot at the base of their penis in response. It will expand upon climax, which means your knot needs to be outside of her when you orgasm, since you are not mating with her. If you can't control yourself, I will assist you. Any questions?" he asked, mentally begging them not have questions. That was the speech he'd been given, just about word for word, when he'd turned 15 and was about the extent of his knowledge on the subject.

"So many questions that I don't want the answers to," Jackson said, a touch of horror in his voice.

When Derek glanced back at his betas he found all three of the boys looking down at their own pants with expressions ranging from guarded curiosity to outright concern. Derek refrained from any outward signs of exasperation, reminding himself that they were just kids, and then quickly trying not to think of them as kids. They were members of his pack, and they would have to act like it, because that was what needed to be done. They had all nearly died multiple times over the past months, they'd been captured and beaten, they'd survived the near disintegration of their pack. Surviving their first heat as a pack should be relatively simple in comparison. Then again, nothing had ever been simple for Derek, and that seemed to have carried over to his pack as well.

"Whenever you're ready," Derek said to Erica, meeting her eyes and deciding that asking her again if she was sure would be doing her a disservice. "You're in charge, you're making the calls," he added and wondered how she could smile at him when he had done this to her.

"Boyd," she said, her hands latching onto Boyd like she thought he might disappear. "Boyd first."

Boyd knelt up and met Derek's gaze, a silent promise that he could control himself and do what Erica needed from him. Derek backed away and motioned Isaac and Jackson back a little. He couldn't leave and give Erica and Boyd privacy, but he could at least let them have the illusion that they hadn't essentially been forced into this. He attempted to keep the majority of his attention away from the mattress on the floor but the combination of the pheromones in the air and the fact that it was his betas kept drawing his eyes back to the center of the room. Boyd and Erica were talking quietly enough that no one could hear, their lips ghosting silent breaths against each others skin; it was essentially whispering for werewolves and Derek took a moment to wonder who had taught them that when he hadn't seen anyone do it since Laura was at his side.

Erica was almost completely hidden from view behind Boyd and Derek found himself slightly awestruck watching as Boyd reverently slid Erica's shirt up her chest and then over her head and arms, his large hands handling Erica like she was something precious and loved, if not delicate and breakable. He removed Erica's pants in much the same way, his hands soothing and caressing her legs as he moved back up to kiss her. Boyd paused for a moment to shrug out of his own clothes, his attention never leaving Erica as he undressed, and when he leaned down over her it was like he was shielding her from the rest of the world.

Derek had never seen anything like it before; the way they got lost in each other, the way Erica's hands slipped up over Boyd's shoulders to soothe him in the same way he was caring for her, the way their hearts beat in tandem without a second thought. There had been nothing like that in Derek's life. At the start it had been a confusing rush of experiences, so beyond his control that he couldn't find the ground beneath him, and after that everything had been quick and rough, drawing blood with claws and teeth, a struggle for dominance and control. It was beyond him to draw comparisons to what he was witnessing and what he'd experienced, it didn't seem like they even belonged in the same category.

Boyd didn't seem completely overwhelmed by the pheromones from Erica's heat, not the way that Derek had seen in some wolves, but Derek could see how the world narrowed for Boyd and Erica until the only the only things in their awareness were each other. A group of Hunters could storm the den right now and likely neither would even notice. Derek glanced over to his other betas, Jackson had perched on a smooth surface they generally used as a counter and was watching Boyd and Erica with quiet focus. Isaac had turned away, his shoulders hunched and his left hand twitching helplessly against his thigh.

Derek felt Boyd's heartbeat jump out of time with Erica's and turned back to the mattress. "Boyd," he called sharply, putting all of his Alpha command into the name. Boyd's shoulders jolted, startled, but he got Derek's intended message. Derek watched and waited, ready to intercede if necessary, but after his first full moon Boyd had always had relatively good control.

Boyd removed his hand from Erica's shoulder and brought it down to where they were joined, his thrusts falling out of step before he jolted suddenly and gave a low moan. The sharp smell of spilled seed filled the den and the silence was punctuated by Erica and Boyd's quick breaths. After a few moments Boyd edged away from Erica, his hand clamped tightly down as he peered at himself and the fluid he was still spilling.

"That's normal," Derek assured quietly. "Keep pressure around your knot, it should subside within ten minutes or so."

Boyd looked up at Derek, his chest still heaving and he nodded. His eyes were still wide and dark, and he leaned back down to kiss where Erica had brought her knees up. Erica reached for his hand and squeezed it for a minute before giving his forearm a little shove. "Okay," Boyd said, kissing her knee once more before he gathered his clothes in one hand and backed away.

Erica looked up, her eyes golden as they met Derek's. She shivered and exhaled, and when she blinked and then opened her eyes again they were human-brown again. "Isaac," she called, her voice steady.

It took a moment before Isaac turned and approached. He looked to Derek with an expression that Derek couldn't begin to interpret and then knelt at the edge of the mattress. Derek stepped back, though not as far as he had with Boyd. The whole situation had set Derek on edge in a way that had nothing to with his body's response to Erica's heat, and watching Erica wrapping her hands around the back of Isaac's shoulders to bring him in for a kiss did nothing to ease that. To the side of the mattress Derek had a much clearer view than he had with Boyd and Erica and he frowned as he watched Erica gently kiss Isaac's forehead and then his cheek, her hands stroking Isaac's hair, though Isaac didn't do anything more than cling to Erica's forearm.

In theory the pheromones from the heat should have overridden any reservations from potential mates, that was part of the reason Alphas locked down their dens during a heat, and why Derek couldn't let Erica go back to her own home while she was in heat. Isaac shouldn't be able to resist Erica touching him and calling to him, and Derek could smell Isaac's arousal, but Isaac was still barely edging closer to Erica despite her hands sliding up under his shirt.

Derek waited, well aware of Jackson restlessly edging closer and Boyd watching with distracted concern, and he wondered at what point, if any, he should intervene. Erica had shifted around, coming to Isaac when he wasn't making any obvious moves to come to her, and she undressed him with deft hands all the while scent marking by instinct at his throat and collar bone.

Derek turned when he heard Jackson take a sharp breath, and then followed Jackson's gaze back to Isaac's back and the thin atrophic scars that started a few inches below his shoulder blades and stopped just above the line of his ass. Once, early on, Derek had been running his fledgling pack through the woods and they'd come to a stop by a small stream. The betas had stripped down to their underwear and splashed around in the water and then chased each other through the early spring air until they were dry once again. Derek had watched from the edge of the trees, listening to their shouts and calls with an odd sense that was almost peace, and when Boyd had caught Isaac, and the pair had finished tussling, Boyd had somberly asked what had caused those particular scars. Isaac's voice had been quiet but clear when he said that it had been a cord torn from an old appliance, and not long after Derek had gathered up his betas and herded them back to the den. From Jackson's now shuttered expression, Derek wondered not for the first time if what Jackson thought he'd known about Isaac was anywhere close to the truth, though, oddly enough, Isaac had been more welcoming of Jackson to the pack than any of the other betas. It was a dynamic that Derek didn't understand but he hadn't questioned it when Jackson had uneasily settled into his place in the pack.

Isaac gave a small, high pitched whine, and Derek's jaw tightened as he saw Isaac's hips moving in abortive, trembling thrusts while his face was buried against Erica's shoulder. Erica was looking up at Derek, her eyes questioning as she held Isaac's shoulders. Derek moved back over to the mattress and knelt, Isaac's head rising at the presence of his Alpha.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked, even though to him the entire situation felt wrong.

Isaac's gaze fell and he lowered his body closer to Erica's. "I've never done this before," he whispered.

It took Derek a moment to realize that Isaac meant sex, that Isaac had never had sex before, and he cringed. Because, yeah, it wasn't like he was messing up his pack for life or anything like that, except for the part where he was. Isaac sometimes left the den for a night or two, and while he never came back smelling like anyone in specific, Derek had always assumed that Isaac had been out doing things he wouldn't do around the pack. "What do you need?" Derek asked, reaching down and touching Isaac's shoulder by instinct, an Alpha's need to protect his pack churning in his chest.

"I don't know, what I'm doing," Isaac said, shivering nearly as badly as Erica. "You said I can't knot her, but I can feel it, and I don't want to mess up."

Derek considered that for a moment and absently reached to brush Erica's hair away from her eyes, seeking to soothe her as much as he was trying to ease Isaac. "I'll keep you from knotting her," he promised solemnly and tried not to think too closely about what he was saying. "Don't worry about doing something wrong, Erica and I will help."

Erica leaned up again, this time pressing kisses to both of Isaac's tightly closed eyes. "Just us here, just pack," she whispered, a promise of her own in those words.

Isaac buried his face against Erica's shoulder again and started to slowly thrust, his movements hesitant until Derek reached down to Isaac's thighs and guided Isaac all the way forward. Derek kept one hand on Isaac's back, carefully avoiding the scar tissue, and with the other he found Erica's hand and splayed his over hers. Isaac seemed to gain a little bit of confidence in his movements and before long Derek knelt up and reached his arms around Isaac's hips. He tightened one hand around Isaac's knot and with his body he controlled Isaac's last few thrusts until Isaac came with a shocked cry. They stayed like that for a moment, Isaac shaking in Derek's arms, Erica's leg shivering where it was pressed against Derek's side, and then Boyd was at the edge of the mattress and helping Isaac up and wrapping his own hand firmly around Isaac's knot.

With a grateful nod to Boyd, Derek patted Erica's leg and then backed away before he could give into the siren call coming from Erica's body. Jackson looked distinctly uncomfortable now, his eyes flickering between Boyd and Isaac were huddled together to where Erica had her hands over her face and had rolled onto her side. Derek watched as something settled in Jackson's expression and Jackson went to Erica, undressing while he went. Jackson didn't wait for an invitation, pressing his mouth against the center of Erica's chest and then working up to her shoulders. By the time he reached her neck, Erica had wrapped her arms around Jackson's shoulders and Jackson started kissing her lips in what was more of a bite than a kiss.

This was sex as Derek was familiar with it, a lot of rough play, a few exclamations when something was either very right or suddenly wrong, and Derek relaxed a little as he watched Erica roll Jackson onto his back and bite down on his chest. Their movements were quick and practiced, Jackson intently focused on discovering what Erica liked and Erica losing herself to the frenzy of heat now that she was less worried about her packmate.

Derek could smell that Jackson was approaching climax and he stepped forward, this time anticipating that he would have to intervene. "Jackson," he said, Alpha command in his voice again, but other than a flicker of Jackson's eyes he didn't respond. Derek knelt on the mattress again and used his superior strength to roll Erica and Jackson so that they were both down and then grabbed Jackson's hip long enough to insinuate his hand between them around around Jackson's knot. Jackson growled, bucking back against Derek, but Derek only growled back and waited the seemingly long minute it took Jackson to finish.

Erica wiped blood from her lips as she eased away from Jackson, and Derek thought that he would have to taste it to know which of them it had belonged to. He helped Jackson stand on uneasy legs, Derek feeling his own body strain as he reacted to the scent of the release from all of his betas that now was coating his skin and pants. Isaac reached for Jackson when Derek helped Jackson over to where Boyd and Isaac had made a small nest for themselves, and Jackson went eagerly to Isaac's arms. Boyd reached to replace where Derek had been helping Jackson hold his knot, and Derek stared bemused at the huddle of his naked betas.

"Derek," Erica called, and Derek went to Erica's side immediately and touched her still feverish skin. "Please, finish this," she said, blinking slowly, and this time her eyes remained golden.

"Yes," Derek said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. He took off his clothes and moved so that he was kneeling flat on the mattress with his knees apart and then gently eased Erica's knees over his thighs. He leaned forward, gathering her in his arms as best as he was able, and he breathed "I'm sorry" against her chest.

He kept all of his senses focused on her, knowing that Boyd and Isaac would have clearer heads by now and could keep watch over the den, and he braced himself for any signs that Erica was hurting or distressed. When Derek had been young, his father had talked to all of the young members of the pack about what it meant to be Alpha. 'Protect your pack,' and 'the pack is your strength,' and 'pack is everything,' were so ingrained into Derek's mind that he was sure it had been the only thing keeping him and Laura going because they were the only ones left of their pack and they had to be strong for each other. Derek's father's voice was in his mind now, an endless litany of 'keep them safe,' and it wasn't until Derek looked up into Erica's eyes that his mind cleared and he felt his body again.

Erica wasn't looking at him with fear or anger or hurt, but there was love and trust in her eyes. It wasn't easy love, nor romantic love - not by a long shot, but it was there and the idea passed through Derek's mind that maybe he was doing the right thing for his pack after all. He felt his body shudder against Erica's as he lost his rhythm and she reached up and smoothed his hair in the same way she had done for Isaac. She nodded, encouraging, and this time Derek didn't look away as he began to move. It was easier now, pleasure sparking through Derek's body, and he took a heavy breath as he realized that he was Alpha and he didn't have to restrain himself from knotting. He had never been in a position to knot someone before, never been chosen as a mate during someone's heat and being Alpha of his own pack was still so new, and he found himself hesitating ever so slightly before he surrendered to the current thundering in his ears. It was an odd sensation, though almost entirely pleasurable, and from the way Erica moaned and clenched around him, he thought she was in the same predicament.

They rested together for a minute, Derek's head slightly to the side of Erica's shoulder as he regained his equilibrium, and then Erica wiggled beneath his hips and then laughed. "That's different," she said, and Derek looked up in time to see her grin. She had stopped shivering and when Derek scented the air he could tell that her fever had started to drop.

Derek glanced down between them and twitched his hips experimentally. Well, he wasn't going anywhere for a little bit. He found himself smiling back at Erica and there was no way he could fail to notice her relief at the regular functions of her body returning to her.

"May we?" Boyd asked, edging closer but staying back far enough from the knotted pair as to not seem like a threat.

Erica reached for Boyd, and Derek nodded his permission without reserve. Boyd slid behind Erica and smoothed her hair while she gazed up at him, exhaustion leaving her eyes fluttering. Isaac pressed himself against Derek's right flank, uncertainly at first, but Derek freed one of his hands to rest at the nape of Isaac's neck and before long he settled with his head against Erica's side and his back against Derek's leg. Jackson sprawled easily at Derek's left, his hand resting on Erica's stomach, and Derek found himself feeling bizarrely fond of how Jackson's hip bumped against Derek's knee and remained there. They stayed, as a pack, for longer than it took for Derek's knot to ease enough for him to pull free, and Derek didn't have it in him to order them to go get cleaned up and sort themselves out.

Derek wasn't certain if they'd slept or not, he felt a little unearthly - like he was only connected to the world through his pack. Eventually they broke off, Jackson dressing and giving Erica a kiss on her cheek before he left for his dinner with Lydia, and Boyd and Erica leaving together. Derek wouldn't be surprised at all if Boyd stayed the night outside Erica's window, standing guard while the last of the pheromone overdrive faded. Only Isaac remained, the den silent as they cleaned up and then ate a simple meal of sandwiches and soup.

It was much later that night when Derek felt his mattress dip beside him. He hadn't been asleep, hadn't even been trying, and he was a little shocked to find Isaac curling up against his back, his curls tickling Derek's bare shoulders. It took longer than it should have for Derek to realize that Isaac wasn't wearing any clothes, not even underwear, and he rolled over to get a better look at his beta. "Did you want something?" he asked, but the words were kinder than they would have been only a day before.

Isaac blinked rapidly, his heartbeat galloping, and he remained eerily still as he gazed somewhere in the vicinity of Derek's chest. "Would you knot me?" he asked, his words almost lost in the dark quiet that surrounded them.

Derek took a deep breath; the pheromones in the den hadn't faded yet, he would still have a knot. "Is that what you want?" he asked, dragging his soft, human fingertips down Isaac's bare chest and taking in the fine tremor there.

Isaac's eyes flashed golden. "Please."

Derek licked his lips and leaned into kiss deep into Isaac's mouth. Isaac didn't ask for much, not for anything, really. Maybe it was the scent of the pack lingering in the air but Derek couldn't bring himself to deny Isaac this - he didn't want to deny Isaac this. "Yes," he said when he released Isaac's mouth. "Yes."


End file.
